Drunk female Episcopal bishop arrested for hit-&-run in bicyclist death

Erik Ortiz reports for NBC News that an arrest warrant was issued on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, for Maryland’s first female Episcopal bishop Heather Cookafter prosecutors found enough evidence to charge her in the death of a Baltimore cyclist two days after Christmas.

Bishop Heather Cook’s Subaru station wagon struck Thomas Palermo, 41, as he rode on a residential street around 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 27, police said. An investigation found that Palermo was in a dedicated bike lane and that Cook was texting-while-driving and had a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit, NBC affiliate WBAL reported.

Palermo hit the hood and windshield of Cook’s car, and he later died at a hospital. Cook initially left the scenebut returned 20 minutes later, the Rev. Eugene Sutton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, said in a statement last month.

It is a felony in all states if one leaves the scene of an accident that results in the death of a person.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Friday in announcing the charges that “no one is above the law.” An attorney for Cook couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Cook faces several charges, including two counts of vehicular manslaughter, negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. She could get up to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter and leaving the scene charges if found guilty. In 2010 she pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge, which some church officials said they were unaware of when she was elected last May to her No. 2 leadership position in the diocese, according to The Baltimore Sun.

In a statement Friday, Sutton said the church is “deeply heartbroken” for both Cook and the Palermo family.

I have plenty of friends in a “high church,” Bible believing, Spirit filled Episcopal church. But sadly, they are the exception.
In most Episcopalian churches, the term “Whiskeypalian“ applies more aptly.“Wherever you find four Episcopalians,
you’ll always find a fifth.“ 😀

What’s going on with female clergy in those churches? First we have Chili for abortion fundraisers and now this. Totally disgusting. Forget the bishop part, what kind of woman hurts someone that bad and leaves them? I have no part of my brain that can even begin to understand that. She’s a nasty woman and a failure as a human being

Northerngirl . . . you are absolutely right when you wrote “. . . she’s a nasty woman and a failure as a human being.” How is it that she would just leave a man hurt and broken, and just drive away–only to return 20 minutes later? It is quite sad that those in authority voted to install her, what with the previous conviction of DUI (the charges for drugs, and paraphernalia were dropped, but you have to know they must have found those items. I am dying to know who is the legal registered owner of the vehicle she was driving–does it belong to her, or is it registered to the church? If it is registered to the church–they need to be sued “big time,” since they knowingly (had knowledge of her previous conviction for DUI) installed her in her position. She also needs to be sued–not as an act of revenge, but the wife and children/grandchildren certainly had the expectation that they would have the companionship, love and support that a man as young (I believe 43) would have been supplied for many years to come. This woman’s behavior is absolutely beyond the pale.

I want to correct a fact that I previously wrote. Mr Palermo was only “41” years old. He left behind two small children in addition to his wife. What a needless tragedy for these two babies to experience life without their father.

Texting…..AND drunk! a double header for sure, we’ve had similar here not clergy but hit’n’run death involved……and there is no prosecution if the driver is a negro, hispanic or illegal alien….the old libturd tale, “he be a good boi he not doin nuffins, he haves his whole life ahead of him
When are they finally gonna get tough on driving while texting, face booking,etc, prosecute equally as drunk or stoned driving. I ride the bus and subway a lot and as I look down on surrounding traffic while on the bus, a good 50% are texting while driving, plus drinking coffee, primping, doing nails, masturbating etc

She was 3 times the legal limit-that explains how she left the scene. It probably took her 20 minutes to realize it was her windshield being spidered that was making it so hard to see where she was going.
I’ve long believed that people in positions of power/prestige should be judged more harshly than the rest of us,because,as part of their position,they are expected to live by EXAMPLE,to SHOW the rest of us that they can be trusted,that they can be of character beyond reproach-that’s a large part of “Leadership”. When they intentionally violate the trust placed in them by the people,they owe each individual personally for that violation.
That’s just MY opinion.